Next month, Canine to Five will celebrate 10 years of providing dog boarding and grooming services on Cass Avenue just south of Martin Luther King Boulevard. Since its launch, the dog daycare has become one of Midtown Detroit's name-brand businesses.
Today it's building the same reputation in Ferndale, where it has acquired its own building on East 9 Mile Road between Hilton and I-75. Canine To Five opened its first satellite location in Ferndale two years ago in a rented building. Its new home in Ferndale is nearly four times as large.
"We're going from a 6,000-square-foot building to a 22,000-square-foot building," says Liz Blondy, owner of
Canine to Five.
The extra space is needed to keep up with
Canine to Five's growth. Business at the company's Detroit home is up 14 percent in the last year and its business in
Ferndale doubled by the end of its second year. Today Canine to Five has 18 employees working in Ferndale and 25 in Detroit. Fifteen of those employees were hired over the last year.
"We grew much quicker than anticipated," Blondy says. "The reception we got in Ferndale was outstanding."
Blondy expects to execute the move to the new building this spring, but Ferndale isn't here sole focus. Canine to Five is currently working with an architect to add 6,500 square feet to its Detroit home, which will double the size of its flagship location later this year.
Canine to Five is also partnering with Ferndale-based
Treat Dreams Ice Cream & Desserts, which will provide Pooch Pops (an ice cream treat to dogs) at Canine To Five’s two locations this summer.
"It's important to me to use as many products as possible from Michigan for my business," Blondy says.
Source: Liz Blondy, owner of Canine to Five
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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